Highlights

Spinal surgery operations are complex and challenging procedures for both Surgeons, Anesthesiologists, and Patients. The length of these surgeries can range from 4 to 12 hours, depending on the difficulty of the procedure. These operations include Spinal Instrumentation Surgical Procedures, Laminectomy Operations, Scoliosis Operations, Spinal Stenosis Operations, and other Cervical and Vertebral Operations.

For anesthesiologists, ensuring the patient’s positioning and safety during these long surgeries is a top priority. As the length of the surgery increases, so does the risk involved. In addition to the general positioning and safety concerns during spinal surgery, the prone position presents further difficulties. The prone position is one of the least preferred positions for anesthesiologists as it can be challenging to maintain stable vital signs in patients who are positioned in this way.

The primary concern for Anesthesiologists during prone position spinal surgeries is the risk of facial necrosis. This occurs when pressure on the patient’s face blocks the blood flow, leading to tissue death. Not only does this pose a serious health risk, but it also results in noticeable facial disfigurement.

To prevent this issue, the pressure on the patient’s face during the surgery must be minimized and properly distributed. Otherwise, the blood flow to the face may be blocked, causing tissues to become deprived of proper blood supply and eventually leading to necrosis.

Prone Pillows, also known as Prone Cushions, Face Pillows, Face Cushions, Foam Cushions, Foam Pillows, Foam Positioning Products, Protective Helmet Systems, Head Supports, or Head Positioning Systems, are a widely used and successful solution to the problem of necrosis in spinal surgery operations. These pillows are used with Wilson Frame or Jackson Frame systems. Before the use of foam-based prone pillows, gel pads were used for face positioning during prone position surgeries. However, over time, anesthesiologists have found that foam-based prone pillows are much more effective for two important reasons.

1. Medical Foam Products conform to the shape of the face much better than Gel Pads.
The Prone Pillow® and Prone Cushion® medical products are much more effective in pressure management when compared to Gel Pads. Unlike Gel Pads, Prone Pillow® and Prone Cushion® are specifically designed to eliminate the risk of necrosis on the patient’s face during Prone Positioning Operations, such as spinal surgery operations. Medical foams conform to the shape of the patient’s face much better than Gel Pads, which reduces pressure on the face and minimizes the risk of necrosis. Over the years, it has been observed that Gel Pads are inadequate in pressure management when compared to Medical Foams.

2. Zero Risk of Infection and Contamination
In contrast, Prone Pillow® and Prone Cushion® products are disposable, which means that there is no need to disinfect them after the operation like Gel Pads. Prone Pillow® and Prone Cushion® can be disposed of in the wastebasket after use, thereby eliminating the risk of contamination or infection. However, Gel Pads have to be disinfected by medical staff because any secretions from the previous patient can contaminate the next patient. If the staff forgets to disinfect the Gel Pad, there can be a risk of infection and contamination for the next patient. Even if the staff disinfects the Gel Pad, the disinfection rate of the product cannot be fully controlled since it is cleaned manually, and these products are not autoclavable.

Moreover, it is worth emphasizing that medical staff require extra time to disinfect these Gel Pads after every operation, which diverts their attention from other duties.